The Global Compact Network in Ukraine called on the Verkhovna Rada to fulfill two European integration commitments: to completely ban the use of asbestos and to adopt the bill "2207-1d" On Waste Management.
This is stated on the website of the Global Company Network Ukraine.
Representatives of the UN Global Compact in Ukraine appealed to the People's Deputies, Speakers of Parliamentary Factions and Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine Ruslan Stefanchuk with a request as soon as possible:
- to ban the use of asbestos and all asbestos-containing in Ukraine;
- to adopt the bill № 2207–1d “On waste management”.
Today, the ban on asbestos is mentioned in the bill № 4142 "On the public health system" of September 22, 2020, which passed the first reading. The authors of the appeal support this norm.
On Wednesday, May 4, the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine received letters of support from the parliamentarians from Great Britain, the Independent International Academy Collegium Ramazzini, the European Federation of Builders and Woodworkers and the Trade Union of Construction and Building Materials Workers of Ukraine.
The mission stressed that Ukraine still allows the use of asbestos in construction - a toxic carcinogenic mineral, which is banned in 70 countries, including the EU.
The International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) classifies all types of asbestos as carcinogens of group I ("proven human carcinogenicity") that cause occupational diseases such as asbestosis, cancer of the larynx, bronchi and lungs, ovaries, and malignant pleural mesothelioma, pericardium.
Due to the dangerous effects of chrysotile asbestos on human health, manufacturers in developed countries are now using a safe substitute based on polychloroalcohol and cellulose fibers. But Ukraine continues to import carcinogenic raw materials from the Russian Federation and Kazakhstan.
According to the Association Agreement between Ukraine and the EU, the Ministry of Health of Ukraine had until 30 October 2021 to implement Directive 2009/148 / EU, which prohibits the use of all types of asbestos and asbestos-containing products in the EU.
However, despite the fact that Russia has destroyed 30% of the infrastructure worth $ 100 billion, companies are in no hurry to convert to the production of asbestos-free goods. The Russian-Kazakh lobby places propaganda boards in the government quarter "STOP PROHIBITION OF SLATE"!
Photo: Denis PavlovskyThe UN Global Compact in Ukraine has expressed fears that cities destroyed by the Russian army may be rebuilt with toxic asbestos from Russia. That is why it is necessary to ban asbestos in Ukraine at the legislative level as soon as possible, they believe.
"Among Ukraine's European integration commitments is an immediate ban on the use of asbestos and the import of goods based on it. It is a difficult time for the country to make the necessary decisions," said Denis Pavlovsky, head of the NGO Agency for Chemical Safety.
Explosions of missiles and ammunition and the accumulation of millions of tons of scrap metal and construction debris cause significant environmental and climatic damage to Ukraine's environment. Dozens of Ukrainian cities are awaiting deoccupation, demining and reconstruction. It is very important today to lay the legal basis that will make Ukraine's recovery safe and energy efficient and take into account the best practices of building sustainable critical infrastructure in a circular economy.
To do this, it is necessary to adopt the bill № 2207-1l "On Waste Management", which for the first time since Ukraine's independence introduces a European approach to waste management and will be the foundation for building a circular economy, which is now part of the European Green Course. This bill passed the first reading almost two years ago. After lengthy discussions on February 14, 2022, the deputies of the Ecocommittee's Waste Management Subcommittee recommended that the comparative table of the bill be approved for the second reading.
"Today, the amount and geography of household waste has changed significantly, as more than 2 million Ukrainians have become internally displaced. Thousands of tons of hazardous waste of all categories are generated every day. Waste management will be the beginning of this. Further work is needed to adopt sectoral legislation on waste management. After all, the land for which Ukrainian soldiers are fighting so hard for every meter should not be littered with garbage," said the Waste Management Reform Manager of the Ministry of Environment Reform Support Team. Tatiana Tevkun.
Before EcoPolitica reported that the Ministry of Community and Territorial Development together with the Ministry of Environmental Protection and Natural Resources, as well as the Confederation of Builders of Ukraine in order to prevent environmental disasters began to develop mechanisms of utilization and reuse of construction waste formed as a result of massive destruction of infrastructure.
We will remind also, the Ukrainian association of secondary metals "UAVtormet" addressed to the Ministry of Strategic Industries of Ukraine with the request to regulate the disposal of scrap, formed as a result of hostilities in the country.
